IFP, National Board of Review Set Awards Dates

The awards season calendar is beginning to take shape: New York-based indie organization IFP will announce its 19th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at ceremonies on Dec. 1. Two days later, the National Board of Review will announce its winners on Dec. 3 and will hand out its awards on Jan. 12.

The Gothams will be held for the second year in a row at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

Awards will be handed out in five competitive categories -- best feature, best documentary, breakthrough actor, breakthrough director and best ensemble performance -- which are currently accepting submissions as well as a sixth category, Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You, which is by invitation-only.

The awards also will present tributes to four members of the creative and business community.

The deadline for submissions Sept. 21. The tribute honorees will be announced the week of Sept. 21. Nominees for the competitive awards will be announced Oct. 19.

The National Board of Review, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, will hand out its awards on Jan. 12 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.

To mark its centennial, on Monday, it announced $100,000 in student grants to 10 university film schools, the Children's Aid Society, the Ghetto Film School and Reel Works Teen Filmmaking.

The student grants range from $500 to $4,500 and are given to the top student filmmakers from each school based on their submitted short films. The Children's Aid Society received a grant of $4,500 to purchase film and video equipment.